Breathing through gills
by Epok-kun
Summary: She knew she was dead, of that she had no doubts. but to wake up in the body of a fish-man child being branded a slave in the story of her favorite series, that surprised her. read and review please.
1. Prologue

Close your eye and imagine this.

You're floating on your back in water, it's cold but not so cold that you're uncomfortable. Trees surround you, rising from the water like skyscrapers in a crowded city, their leaves cover the gray sky above you. Protecting you from the majority of an onslaught of rain. All you hear is the muted sound of rain drops, falling from the protective leaves above.

This is my peace.

This is my purgatory.

I don't remember the details of my first life, I remember the feelings. Hate, love, worry, hope, fear, protectiveness, and peace. I hated those who hurt the week, loved those close to me, worried about loved ones, hoped for the future, protected the week, feared the past, but felt peace despite the fear. And I remember my most important choices. Taking self-defense and kick-boxing classes till I was a master at both and then some, becoming a doctor and learning as many languages as I could to go to different country's to help those in need. In fact, that's how I died. But that's not important. What's important is I'm changing.

My body that is.

When I had first arrived in purgatory I had no physical shape, or senses. I was nothing and nothing was me. Then I heard the rain. Muted as it was it gave me something, made me something. Feeling came next, pleasantly cold. Taste and smell soon followed. Till finally sight. I know this body is different, I don't think I should know but I do. When I regained control of my new limbs the first thing I did was look at my hand. My skin was blue. After I had gotten over the initial shock I realized I could breathe under the water I floated in. despite this I was still humanoid in shape, two legs, two arms, ten fingers, ten toes, and upon further investigation, two eyes, one nose, one mouth with plenty of serrated teeth, two ears, and a head full of hair. I was still a girl, but I had newly acquired gills in-between my ribs, blue skin, and serrated teeth.

I also couldn't really move much. I could lift my hands and wiggle my toes but swimming or moving for real was out of question, all I could do was float down stream.

And that's exactly what I did. For who know how long before I fell into a dreamless sleep.

So peaceful,

So calm…

**I hate it.**


	2. Chapter 1

It was when I was about two that I remembered my first life. Right in the middle of being forever branded as a pet for the World Nobles. The memories of this life, a small nameless fish-men child, crashed into my first life, a filed medic in the middle of WWIII. I remembered everything and the pain of the new brand on my back was no longer the reason behind my screams.

I was returned to my cell when my flesh stopped sizzling and left to my agony. I lay there, desperately trying to regain my breath, thoughts scrambling to make sense of themselves through the pain.

_Those bastards, they can't have me, I won't let them!_

A month later I have my plan.

Gain their favor.

It was simple and I could do it, I would do it through gardening. Gardening was a hobby in my first life and would aid me greatly in this one. When I overheard that my _Master _needed a gardener, I told him I could do it. I received one of the most severe beating I had ever gotten in this life.

It was nothing compared to my first life's death.

I had, however, planted the seeds to my plan. Not a week later I was ordered to get started on the garden, if I did badly I would get an even worse beating than before.

I was unimpressed.

Extremely unimpressed.

It took me three days to get the garden done, and even though I was fed very little during that time, the garden turned out beautifully. It was one of the best. I got my first full meal for it, and things only got better. Within the year I was quickly becoming the best gardener around, others began to pay my master for my work. And with every garden I did I got a full meal, and with every full meal I got stronger.

It was when I turned three or so that I was hired to do a garden at one of the World Government's training ground.

That was the day I meet Rob Lucci. Lucci was fifteen when I met him, he had already killed five hundred soldiers so when I made eye contact with him all I saw was the eyes of the dead,

_That's horrible._

But I was no different. I had seen my reflection, I had pail eyes that shown with knowledge far beyond my age. I started on the garden.

It was my second day of gardening that they trained behind me. I had finished my section of the garden and had started to watch them as they began to work on, to my utterly childish delight, Geppo.

I watched CP9 like a hawk, learning how they did things, and figured out how to apply it to myself. I began to practice their moves at night, taking advantage of how children learn faster. It was on the fourth week that Lucci was getting agitated by my staring.

He started to glare in my general direction on the third day of that week, asking about me on the fourth, and now its day five and he is _pissed._

He took a small pause from sparing with Kaku and faced me

"Hey fish brat, why don't you come spar with me," it was Lucci. Hattori, his pigeon, was perched off to the side and the rest of CP9 were gaping in shock, horror, or amusement._ This is going to suck._

"Am I aloud to refuse?" I was making eye contact with him, a big no-no with slavery. But I did it anyway. His glare intensified and I internally grimaced, I never liked showing fear or pain to my enemy's.

"No." _why is he so pissed?_ I stood despite my fear and walked to face him as Kaku had before me. I had gotten basic self-defense for the field and I had been training it for the past year. The last three and a half weeks I had been training Geppo, Rankyaku, and Soru. Even though, I had gotten literally nowhere my legs were a little stronger.

I was still sorely outmatched.

_I'm so screwed._ I took my stance and looked up at Lucci.

Two hours.

That's how long I've been getting my ass handed to me.

As I hit the dirt for the_ I can't even remember-th_ time I faintly realize I should be reporting in by now, but I could care less. If I can't even land one hit on him when he's going easy on me, how can I possibly hope to escape?

Simple, I can't.

So I push up off the ground, wipe the dirt and blood from my lips and get ready for another beating. By this point I know he's been ordered not to kill me, but he also hasn't been ordered not to hurt me.

His glare intensifies and I focus my blurry vision on his taller form. _Oh for the love of! I've been watching him for days-no weeks now! I know how you fight! You know what? I don't care, I'm going for it._

I closed my eyes and focused harder on Lucci, I felt him smirk. For the past year I had been also trying to teach myself how to use Kenbunshoku Haki, or Mantora for short. I was actually fairly good at it, I just haven't tried it out for battle purposes.

_He's rushing me from the right. _I found my body moving to my will, lunging to the left and up. I landed on my hands and swung my legs around to hit him in the back. I missed.

_I can use it. _My eyes snapped open and I looked up at Lucci in a child-like glee. I quickly scolded my expression and focused again. Once is a fluke. I felt Lucci again and waited.

He lunged, faster than before, with more strength and blood lust. I rolled forward and kick upward, my heel smacked his knee and I was startled with just how jarring it was for me.

My eyes opened again and I looked up at him, struggling to focus on him with Mantora properly as my leg seemingly vibrated with the force I had put into the last attack. It hurt but it was still nothing to me.

I could feel my gaze harden with determination as I looked at him. This time I lunged forward. He was startled but quick to react. I pivoted, my direction changed dramatically, I moved forward in an unorganized zig-zag. I got close enough to hit him so I jumped, and I finally used Soru. His eyes widened as they struggled to find me, as my fist landed sharply on his head I felt the exhaustion catch up to me. I was already slipping under by the time he counter attacked.

It was the next day when I woke up. I had, for the first time, been bandaged up for my injuries. As I looked at the contrast I felt a deep disgust grow in the pit of my stomach. I'm tiny, just a child. Not even five and a fifteen year old brat just beat me to unconsciousness.

_And all I want to do is thank him…_

I looked back at my tiny bandaged hand and I felt a grin tug up on my lips. I could do it, I would do it.

I'll be free soon enough.


End file.
